VR Tech Times

from Autocar India https://ift.tt/AJNrf4Z

Tesla is often credited with accelerating EV adoption the world over, creating many early adopters (a lot of whom have helped create a cult following around the brand) and forcing legacy brands to play catch up. Its distinctly Silicon Valley approach to vehicle planning, design, engineering, production and sale is unlike any other, and that is plain to see in its tech-forward cars. These days, however, those legacy brands have caught up, and there is fresh heat from Chinese EV brands that are equally radical and innovative, if not more so. With that in mind, now that Tesla is finally in India, where does the brand’s sole offering fit in our market, and just what draws so many customers to it around the world every year? Note: The Model Y tested here is the pre-update version with a WLTP-certified range of 622km. Tesla updated the Model Y RWD in India last October with a larger 84.2kWh battery – up from the original 78kWh unit. The bigger battery pack delivers a greater WLTP-certifi...

To attract lower 18 percent GST, Bajaj has brought out a downsized 350cc KTM 390 Duke (among multiple other Triumph, KTM and Bajaj models) and save for the smaller 349cc engine, this bike is identical to the 398cc which is now called the 390 Duke R. We've been able to spend some quality time in the seat of the 350cc 390 Duke and put its performance to the test. 350cc KTM 390 Duke Acceleration Acceleration 350cc KTM 390 Duke 398cc KTM 390 Duke R 0-40kph 1.57s 1.28s 0-60kph 2.73s 2.21s 0-80kph 4.19s 3.50s 0-100kph 6.22s 5.21s In outright terms, it's not surprising that the 350cc 390 Duke is slower than the 398cc model. The sprint to 100kph from a standstill took a full second more on the 350cc 390 Duke than it did on the 398cc model. However, despite being a slower bike in terms of pure performance, the 350 Duke is still an entertaining machine especially once the tachometer crosses 6000rpm! Its acceleration performance is still a little quicker than the Triumph Speed 400 and th...

Grassroots motorsport is very different from any other form of basic sport. While equipment used in sports like tennis, cricket or football remains pretty much the same as you progress up the ranks, the karts, buggies and cars used as you climb the ladder in motorsport are upgraded at almost every step. Take single-seat open-top racing, for example. The path to Formula 1 starts out in go-karts, evolves to basic single-seat open-wheel cars, and then moves onto progressively faster and faster formula cars with wings. There, however, has never been a dirt road or rally feeder series in India ... until now. Enter the Cross Car, nothing less than the ideal platform for young and enthusiastic drivers looking to get into rallying and various forms of motorsport on dirt. And with the first set of Cross Cars slated to reach the Madras Motor Sport Club in the next couple of months and a proposed inaugural series slated to kick off later this year, India is all set to get a proposed first step i...

The KTM 390 Adventure now comes with a 350cc engine variant to avoid the 40 percent GST on bikes above 350cc. This has made it Rs 62,000 cheaper than the X variant with the 398cc engine. For this report, we have also compared it with the figures from last year's 390 Adventure S performance test.  350cc KTM 390 Adventure: Acceleration  Acceleration 350cc KTM 390 Adventure 398cc 390 Adventure S 0-40kph 1.55s 1.55s 0-60kph 2.47s 2.62s 0-80kph 4.36s 3.97 0-100kph 6.82s 5.80s As expected, the 350cc 390 Adventure is slightly slower than the 389cc model. Up to 40kph, both the bikes took 1.55 seconds, and in the sprint to 100kph, there is a difference of 1 second. While the 398cc engine used to have a nice mid range punch, the 350cc engine feels more linear and has the surge in power coming in towards the top end. Overall, the bike is not drastically slower, but has lost out on its potent midrange performance. 350cc KTM 390 Adventure: Roll-on Acceleration  Roll-On Acceleration 3...